By: Caleb Seaver, Contributing Writer
Photo by Caleb Seaver

MOBILE, Ala. – A 65-42 win over Louisiana to end the regular season turns historic for the Jags, as it and a loss by James Madison helped South Alabama clinch a share of the Sun Belt regular season championship and a 1-seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 2008.

South Alabama jumped all over Louisiana early in the game, starting the game on a 21-4 run. Louisiana did respond though, cutting the South Alabama lead to 11, heading into halftime. However, that would be about all the fight left in the Cajuns as the Jags would open the second half on an 11-0 run, which would ultimately be enough to propel the Jags to the win.

Statistically, the Jags were led by senior Elijah Ormiston, who finished the game with an extremely impressive 28 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist. Junior Barry Dunning Jr. would also have a big game, finishing with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The Cajuns would be led by senior Kentrell Garnett who had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

“I always tell them that great things happen when you pour everything you have into something. They’ve done that every step of the way since we had them in June. They’ve stuck together and I’m just thankful I got to coach these guys,” Head Coach Richie Riley said in a postgame interview.

In addition to the regular season conference title, South Alabama finished with a regular season of 21-10 record—the most wins for South Alabama since 2008 and the most under Head Coach Riley. The Jags were be the one seed and went on to play next in the Sun Belt conference tournament semifinals on Sunday, March 9.